Automotive engine blocks include a number of cylindrical engine bores. The inner surface of each engine bore is machined so that the surface is suitable for use in automotive applications, e.g., exhibits suitable wear resistance and strength. The machining process may include roughening the inner surface, applying a metallic coating to the roughened surface and subsequently honing the metallic coating to obtain a finished surface. Surface roughening techniques are known in the art, but have suffered from one or more drawbacks or disadvantages. One previous method required the use of a cutting tool and a swiping tool that required additional tooling cost, incurred processing cost and process steps. This disclosure aims at solving the problems mentioned above.